After wheat, maize (Zea mays L.) is the second most important cereal crop in Kosovo and a major component of animal feed. The purpose of this study was to analyse the incidence and identity of the Fusarium species isolated from naturally infected maize kernels in Kosovo in 2009 and 2010, as well as the mycotoxin contamination. The disease incidence of Fusarium ear rot (from 0.7% to 40% diseased ears) on maize in Kosovo is high. The most frequently Fusarium spp. identified on maize kernels were Fusarium subglutinans, F. verticillioides/F. proliferatum and F. graminearum. Maize kernel samples were analysed by LC-MS/MS and found to be contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON), DON-3-glucoside, 3-acetyl-DON, 15-acetyl-DON, zearalenone, zearalenone-14-sulphate, moniliformin, fumonisin B1 and fumonisin B2. This is the first report on the incidence and identification of Fusarium species isolated from naturally infected maize as well as the mycotoxin contamination in Kosovo.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop in Kosovo and a major component of population food. Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat is an economically very significant disease. FHB leads to various losses in quality like reduced germination of seeds, reduced baking quality and reduced nutritional quality through mycotoxin contamination. In 2010 and 2011 the incidence and identity of the Fusarium spp. infecting wheat in Kosovo as well as mycotoxin contamination was investigated. The results of two years research work show that the incidence of FHB on winter wheat in 2010 was low (<6%). In the year 2011 the disease incidence was clearly higher (up to 31%). Based on morphological characters, F. graminearum was the most frequently Fusarium sp. identified on wheat kernels in the year 2010 (100%) and 2011 (98%). Less frequently isolated species included F. cerealis (<1%) and F. avenaceum (<1%). Wheat flour samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and found to be contaminated with a variety of mycotoxins, most importantly deoxynivalenol and zearalenone. This is the first report on the incidence as well as on the identification of Fusarium species isolated from naturally infected winter wheat in Kosovo.